melissel Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 A few weeks ago I made homemade laundry detergent powder with a bar of Fels Naphtha (which, by the way, NEVER again! blech!), washing soda, and Borax. It was much easier than doing the whole liquid thing, but afterward I'd read something about the ingredients not dissolving properly unless you're using hot water :confused: Also, I noticed a kind of soap-scummy cloudy residue on the surface of the water as it agitated (top loader). Would making the liquid mix eliminate this, or maybe using a different bar soap? I was hoping to use a bar of Dr. Bronner's next time, or maybe Ivory, but I'm thinking any bar soap will leave a waxy residue. Is that a big deal? Alternatively, has anyone tried using, say, a Tbsp of liquid Dr. Bronners + a Tbsp of washing soda/borax mixture in each load? I'm wondering if that will save time and effort. If I did make the liquid mix, I've heard people complain about it separating. What if I made the main liquid part of the mixture and then didn't mix it with the huge amounts of water to store, and just used a teaspoon of the thick liquid soap part in the laundry load instead of 1/4 C of the total mix? (Am I making any sense at all? :lol:) If you have experience with any of this, I'd love your thoughts. TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I use the liquid. I am on septic and have been told not to use powder. Not sure it matters, but I don't. I make the 10 gallon but only keep it double strength in a 5 gallon bucket. When I take it out I put it in a wide mouthed Rubbermaid 1 gallon bucket, fill it 1/2 full and then add hot water and mix. I honestly do NOT have the problems of separating that some people do. Not sure why. I follow the directions exactly and make sure the soap is completely melted in the pan. I love it. We won't go back. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I use a Fels Naptha/baking soda/washing soda/Borax/salt mix. It's liquid w/gelly bits. Works great in our very hard water! I grew up with Fels Naptha though, so I love it. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Whaaaat? I love the smell of Fels-Naptha! I use the liquid as well, stored as double-strength and diluted when we transfer it to a soap bottle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I use the liquid. I am on septic and have been told not to use powder. Not sure it matters, but I don't. I make the 10 gallon but only keep it double strength in a 5 gallon bucket. When I take it out I put it in a wide mouthed Rubbermaid 1 gallon bucket, fill it 1/2 full and then add hot water and mix. I honestly do NOT have the problems of separating that some people do. Not sure why. I follow the directions exactly and make sure the soap is completely melted in the pan. I love it. We won't go back. Dawn :iagree: This is exactly what I do, except I use a funnel and put it in a gallon milk jug. I only wash in cold water and we've never had an issue with it not dissolving. I give the gallon jug a quick shake before I pour it in the machine. It's messy, but I "grate" the Fels Naptha in my Cuisinart, which produces nice small bits so it melts quick. I love how well it works, and it smells great too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I don't use any soap in my powder. 1 part washing soda + 1 part OxyClean Free + 1 part Borax, mixed together in a Tupperware thing. I wash whites (socks/undershirts/dishtowels) in hot with bleach, and everything else on warm to make sure the powder breaks down. I am too lazy for anything more complicated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted November 10, 2011 Author Share Posted November 10, 2011 Thanks everyone! I think I'll just go ahead and make the liquid next and see how that goes. As for the Fels Naptha, I thought it was all natural, but it turns out it's not. And man, when that powder hits the air, my eyes and sinuses burn like crazy! I grated it by hand that first time, and I had to keep taking breaks. My sinuses burned for hours afterward :( Now when I spoon it into the laundry, I have to hold my breath until I walk out of the laundry room. I must be particularly sensitive or something, because I know it's been around forever, but from now on I'll have to use Ivory or Dr. Bronner's for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I'm jealous of you people for whom the homemade detergent works. I've made the batch 3 or 4 times over the course of a year or so, and I finally quit b/c our clothes were getting dingy and cloudy looking. Not pretty at all. When I switched back to commercial detergent our clothes perked back up. I made the liquid and poured it into milk gallon jugs and old former laundry containers. I"d give 'em a shake before dispensing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 When you make soap, you figure out how much oil will combine with the lye, and any extra oil that you add will be considered "superfatting". that is what makes the soap moisturizing. For laundry soap you want zero superfatting. That is why the recipes recommend fels naphtha. Just this morning, I made a batch of zero super fatted soap for making laundry soap. It is water, coconut oil and lye. That is all. I'll mix it with borax and washing soda. Since we are extra dirty and stinky, I'll add some baking powder and powdered oxyclean. OP, PM your address to me, and I'll mail a couple of the unscented coconut oil bars to you. I can't promise that they will be great for laundry soap, because I havent tried it yet, but it shouldnt bother your sinuses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I make the liquid and use Fels Naptha. I used to grate it but it took too long. Now I just do rough chop with a butcher knife on a cutting board. Takes about 30 seconds at the most and it kind of crumbles as I cut it so it breaks into pretty small pieces which melt quickly. The liquid does seperate and gel but I just whisk it for a few minutes and it's good to go. It doesn't seperate again after that. We've been using it for about 2 1/2 years with no issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I use octagon soap. I find it in the laundry aisle at food lion and we like the smell. I microwave the soap for a few minutes to dry it out, then cut into big chunks and toss into the quisinart. This turns it into a powder that dissolves even in cold water. I go ahead and add the borax, washing soda, and oxyclean and mix it all in the food processor. I started with this recipe/method and tweaked it til it worked best for me. http://www.myearthgarden.com/2010/08/simple-homemade-laundry-detergent-powder/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkermamaof4 Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Do you all find it wears out your clothes, particularly jeans, more rapidly? And do your clothes get sparkly white or are your white tees turning grey? We had these problems and so I stopped making detergent. But I'd love to return to it if someone has really found a recipe that doesn't do this long-term. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Do you all find it wears out your clothes, particularly jeans, more rapidly? And do your clothes get sparkly white or are your white tees turning grey? We had these problems and so I stopped making detergent. But I'd love to return to it if someone has really found a recipe that doesn't do this long-term. thanks. Whites do not get really white without bleach and sunshine, but I had the same problem with store-bought detergent. Most of my whites are undershirts and dishtowels, and they get really dingy about the time they wear out anyway. I am wearing an Old Navy flag t-shirt right now that has been washed 2x a week in homemade detergent since early July, and it looks brand new. DH's work dress clothes look great too. They all smell neutral, just a little earthy if I hang them outside. Again, I don't use soap, because I'm lazy and wouldn't do it right and don't want the build-up in my washer or on my clothes. Plus, I started making this for cloth diapers, where soap can cause problems with decreased absorbency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aura Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 When I make my own laundry detergent, I hate trying to melt/mix things into a liquid. I also hate using soap. I just don't like the way it works with my laundry. I use washing soda, borax, baking soda, BIZ (enzyme laundry booster), and tri-sodium phosphate (TSP-you can get this at Lowe's in the the paint section with the cleaners). I think I used 1 cup each of the washing soda, borax, baking soda, and BIZ, and 1/2 cup of TSP. I generally use 1/4 cup of this for a super size load, maybe more if it's a really dirty load. So far, it's working great. This is just what I do. It works for us. If you don't like the idea of using phosphates, then don't do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbkaren Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 ...I used to grate it but it took too long... For folks who are sick of grating the Fels Naptha, you can put it on a paper plate in the microwave, watching CAREFULLY for a couple of minutes and it'll blow up like a big marshmallow. Let it cool and it crumbles easily in the food processor. Beware, though, that your microwave (and indeed your house) will smell like Fels Naptha for days. Also know that you DON'T want it to over-cook. As soon as most of it is ballooned up, you want to quit and let it cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbkaren Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Do you all find it wears out your clothes, particularly jeans, more rapidly? ... We've found our clothes last a lot longer now that we hang them to dry instead of using the tumble dryer. That lint trap in the dryer is full of bits of fabric from the clothing that has just been dried... I also find that run-of-the-mill clothing is made poorly in recent years and more and more I'm noticing that clothing tears easily and seams rip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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